


Nubia Sol

by ATLA and LoK (UnknownUnseenUnheard), DC (UnknownUnseenUnheard), UnknownUnseenUnheard



Series: Avatar DC AU [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, DCU, Titans (Comics)
Genre: AtLA AU, Birdflash - Freeform, I blame cole, M/M, This Is For You, love you little bro, y’all can also enjoy tho :p
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25562158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownUnseenUnheard/pseuds/ATLA%20and%20LoK, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownUnseenUnheard/pseuds/DC, https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnknownUnseenUnheard/pseuds/UnknownUnseenUnheard
Summary: Dick is a waterbender, one of the best... Healers, that isWhen he gets separated from his squad and stuck on a remote abandoned island, the last thing he expected was for an Air Nomad, of all things, to pop up out of nowhere from the sky and land right in his lapOr, the one where Dick and Wally meet after getting trapped on an island, Dick nurses him back to health, and the pair of them slowly fall in love
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Wally West
Series: Avatar DC AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852429
Comments: 18
Kudos: 143





	Nubia Sol

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Absolute_0Zero](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Absolute_0Zero/gifts).



A/N: So, enjoy a preview of at ATLA AU I’m working on with the help of the amazing awesome cool Absolute-0Zero on Tumblr 

Fic is based on this [art](https://absolute-0zero.tumblr.com/post/624567841583136768/theres-gonna-be-more-of-this-soon-wally)

Published: 7/27/2020

Warnings: offscreen character death, hurt/comfort 

Featured Characters:

Wally

Dick

Supporting:

Jessie

The Sun

Donna

Antagonist:

Fire Nation Soldiers (background)

* * *

**Nubia Sol**

Dick had managed to get himself separated from his fleet. Considering he was the designated healer of the group, that was. Well. Not good.

Dick had been born into the Southern Water Tribe. Unlike most of the other members of his tribe, Dick had been born with a special gift. A gift only two other members of the tribe had shared, as far as Dick knew, and it had been so long since he had seen either little Katara or Kon.

Dick wondered if Katara even remembered him. He had seen Kon more recently, but her? He could barely even remember what her face had looked like, all those years ago.

Regardless, the point still stood. Water obeyed his commands. It flowed with his movements. Dick could bend it as easily as breathing. Dick was a waterbender, wielder of an ancient and sacred art, holy to his people...

And Dick didn't like it in the slightest.

Or, rather, did not like the _aggressive_ aspect of it.

Like all other things in the universe, humanity had found ways to weaponize waterbending. Personally, Dick did not like that in the slightest.

What he did like was an ability he had learned he had a certain special aptitude for. Dick had learned that he could use his bending to heal, to cure cuts and bruises and slashes.

Dick was an excellent healer, if he did say so himself.

He could heal almost instinctively. To him, healing was as easy as taking a breath. That didn't mean that Dick didn't fight, of course. He just didn't use waterbending for it, really. He did, however, relish in beating up Fire Nation soldiers with dual escrima sticks he'd stolen off of one.

As discussed, however, Dick's healing prowess made him the designated medic.

... Until a storm forced Dick to crash in a remote abandoned island far away from the other Water Tribe soldiers, who had ended up who knows where. Oh, joy.

* * *

Wally would get this. He had to get this. It was the only way. He refused any other answer, even if the art he was currently practicing was harder than the norm.

Few airbenders in history had ever achieved what Wally was attempting, but he had to do it. _He just had to._

Beside him, Jessie casually munched on an apple as she sat atop a ledge, eyeing Wally with amusement.

"You know, no one has managed to master that technique in centuries. Hell, probably even longer," Jessie took a chunk out of the apple. "Max came closest and looked where that landed him."

Wally paused in his Chi redirecting ritual, turning to glare at Jessie, who just shrugged and continued to eat her food.

The pale skinned blonde airbender had only recently gotten her marks, and it showed. They were still bright and new against her flesh, vibrant and light blue.

"I need to master this technique, Jessie. And, not just the way Max did it- I need to really and truly master it."

Jessie shrugged. "I don't know, Wally. Even fully realized Avatars have trouble with that one. Actually, keep this up and the Avatar might show up to personally stop you," Jessie said, then wagged her eyebrows at him.

Wally's gaze became a glare as he let his hands drop.

"First of all, Avatar Roku died. Like. Eight years ago? The Avatar is gonna be a full grown baby," Wally pointed out snidely, causing Jessie to roll her eyes at him. "Second," Wally said, spreading his feet, hands curling into one another as he got back into the position shown on the scroll, "I have to do this- it was my fault. Mine, and no one else's. I-. "

Wally felt a hand on his cheek as Jessie turned his head towards her before wrapping her arms around him in a hug. Wally let out a choked gasp, hugging her back.

Memories of _that day_ came slamming into Wally's head.

Eobard, mad with power, laughing endlessly.

Wally, in his arrogance, thought for a second that he could take on one of most powerful airbenders in the world. Eobard had laughed at him, beaten him with a single finger, and then used Wally as bait.

Bait for...

Wally shoved Jessie back, rubbing tears out of his eyes as he took a step back.

"I have to do this, Jessie. If there's a way... _Max did it_. That means it's possible."

"Max did it," Jessie agreed, "but even he couldn't control where he landed. And, he can't get back to his own time either."

"I don't need to come back here," Wally shook his head. "Once I make the change, there won't be a need to go back in the first place. Everything will be fixed. Everything will be alright."

 _I'll have Uncle Barry,_ and _Bart will have his parents back,_ went unsaid.

Jessie, however, shook her head at him. "We don't know if it even works like that, Wally. What if you create a paradox and erase yourself?"

Wally opened his mouth, intent to give Jessie a piece of his mind before closing it again. Ah, fudge, Jessie. Jessie had a point, and there was but one solution to the matter, and one only.

"Doesn't matter, I'll find a way!" Wally exclaimed stubbornly, before turning away from her. "Now, Please. Let me do this. Either shut up or go away, Jessie!

Wally could practically feel the air ripples as Jessie reached out towards him before drawing her hand back. "Fine! If you want to kill yourself trying to save then dead, that's on you!" Jessie screamed, before stomping off.

Wally let out a deep breath before sitting on the stone, crossing his legs. Maybe a different meditation position would help?

Concentrating on the flow of Chakra and Chi within his body, Wally pushed. He needed to do this. He needed to. For Barry. For Don. For Dawn. Wally needed to save them.

He needed to complete his promise to Meloni.

So locked in meditation, Wally did not notice as the winds around him began to twirl and spin. They began to shift, twisting about every which way as yellow light began to glow from Wally's form.

He needed to get back there,

He needed to. Stop Eobard. Save Barry. Stop Eobard, Save Barry.

He needed to do it.

... He needed to do it, for Bart.

For himself. For-

Wally's eyes snapped open as he felt himself tumbling. Eyes widening, Wally looked around, only to find there was no _around_ as he began to fall, straight into the void as the Air Temple vanished around him, becoming nothing in the span of seconds.

Wally did what was logical and screamed.

* * *

"Great, just great!" Dick growled, kicking at the ruined remains of his ship.

Dick himself had survived the storm just fine, cocooning himself in a ball of water, but his ship? It had not been so lucky.

Dick just happened to crash into the one part of the damn beach that was rocky. Just his luck, too.

Glaring up at the sky, Dick stared directly at the sun. Most waterbenders typically avoided doing so. The sun was the source of power for their enemies, what fueled firebenders and their rage. Dick was no ordinary waterbender, however, and glared up at the sun anyways.

"Is this your idea of a joke? Is it because I said that dress made your butt look big?" Dick demanded. The sun stayed silent, "Because, it totally did, but in a good way." Dick informed the sun.

Then, a few clouds appeared before the sun, dragging themselves easily into place, forming the image of a smiley face. The left eye winked at Dick, and, as quickly as the clouds had appeared, they dissipated.

Dick twitched.

Then, raising his hands angrily, Dick yelled, "What does that mean? What does it even mean?"

Dick got his answer when a bright flash of light appeared above him. Hand rising up, Dick shielded his face as the light blinded him. Then, as quickly as the light had appeared... It vanished.

Opening his eyes again, Dick looked up,

And he did not let out a shrill scream when he noticed what looked like a man falling bonelessly from the sky, what are you talking about? The man was wearing oranges and yellows and- oh Spirits, was that an airbender?!

No... That. That couldn't be right.

The airbenders were extinct. Gone. Destroyed. Executed. Hunted down. Completely wiped out by the Fire Nation. Despite that reality, Dick could only watch helplessly as the logic defying airbender that should not exist tumbled through the air, body spinning about on a collision course with the water.

Shit! At the speed the airbender was going, he'd shatter into pieces the moment he crashed! Well, maybe not pieces, but the result would not be pretty and Dick definitely did not want to see it or clean up the mess.

Dick did the only thing he could do in this sort of situation, really. Shrugging off his shirt and pants, leaving him clad in just his underwear, Dick dove into the water, propelling himself forth with the force at his bending.

* * *

Falling.

Wally was falling.

Hurt.

Everything. Hurt.

Pain. So much pain

Was he dying? Was that what had happened? Had Wally accidentally killed himself while trying to time travel?

Of all the bending arts, airbending was the most spiritually connected of them all. There were techniques achievable through airbending that just defied all sense of logic. The thing is, though... Attempting said techniques could honestly get you killed.

Wally was pretty sure he had just gotten himself killed.

He wasn't in darkness anymore, but he was falling. Falling to his death, most likely. His limbs wouldn't move, and, even if they could, Wally doubted it would matter.

This was it. This was the end.

"Sorry... Bart. Sorry... Meloni. I-." Wally closed his eyes, shutting them firmly shut. It no longer mattered. Nothing mattered. This was the end, and Wally was going to die here.

Die, for his arrogance and hubris.

Heh. The exact same thing that had started this mess and that had gotten Barry killed in the first place. Wally never really learned, did he?

Just as Wally had accepted his fate, the most unexpected thing happened.

Wally's eyes snapped open as water rose up towards him, wrapping him in a gentle embrace, slowing him down. That. That was not right, water didn't just-

Then, Wally felt himself lowered, falling into soft, strong, muscular arms, Wally stared at the brown hands cocooning his waist and legs in stunned silence, before turning his head ever slowly

Wally had died. Wally had died and gone to heaven, for what else would explain landing directly into the arms of an angel with golden brown skin, deep blue eyes, and a smile to die for?

"Hey," the angel gave Wally a lopsided grin. "Don't worry, I've got you, pretty boy."

Since Wally was clearly dead, he did not have to be embarresed about the ridiculously gay sigh he let out as he curled up to the angel's lean chest and let himself finally sleep as exhaustion finally claimed him.

* * *

The robes and the markings, Dick realized, were unmistakable. An airbender. A genuine fucking airbender had fallen from the skies, into Dick's waiting arms.

Well. Not waiting, per say, since Dick had barely managed to catch the airbender before he fell, but details.

Night had fallen, and, with it, the moon had risen. Dick had tended to the airbenders wounds, but there weren't many. At least, not physically.

Sure, there had been a deep gash in the airbenders chest that Dick had spent hours patching up, but it wasn't like any wound Dick had ever seen. The airbender had not been out or sliced. There was no entry point, no pattern,

Just a slice of flesh... Gone.

If it hadn't been for the full moon, Dick wasn't sure that he would have been able to patch the airbender up at all, period. His physical wounds were one thing, but the spiritual ones?

By the Spirits, Dick had never seen or felt a spirit so... So ruptured, really. The airbender's Chi pathways had such severe blockage that Dick doubted the man would even be able to bend anymore.

And, he was definitely a man. A very sexy, very lean, twunk of a man. Dick had patched up every inch of the guy. Those freckles... They were everywhere. Literally.

And those eyes...

Dick had only seen them for just a moment, when he'd caught the guy, but they were so green. Green and shimmering and shining, and the way the guy had looked at him-

"No!" Dick shouted, shoving his hands forward as if pushing something away from hismelf. On the other side of the campfire, the airbender's nose twitched a bit. Standing, Dick began to pace. "Can't have a crush on a patient, Dick. You can’t have a crush on a patient. Nope. Can't do it. Can't. No crushes. Even if he's hot. And dreamy. And literally fell out of the sky, and where is the damn sun so I can yell at her."

Dick glared up at the sky.

The moon did not respond. However, a few feet away from Dick, a frog jumped in front of his line of vision and croaked.

Dick twitched a bit before sighing, looking back at the airbender.

An airbender. A genuine, real to life, breathing, airbender.

... Dick was going to have to tell him what happened to his people.

Bruce was going to have a Spirit damned field day when Dick finally managed to send him a report.

... Or should he?

No, Dick decided, he shouldn't. An airbender who's bending had clearly been damaged in such a horrific way that Dick doubted he would ever bend again was not something he'd need to report to the Bat Clan, not at all.

It would be his secret, to keep and to hold. What Bruce didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

* * *

When Wally finally awoke, it was to the feeling of the angel switching a wet rag on his head. The angel lifted his left hand over the second one, fingers making a pinching and then upwards dragging motion.

Water came right out, and Wally's eyes widened. "You're a waterbender," Wally gasped, trying to sit up.

The keyword here being 'tried', as Wally's arm failed him. Sharp pain, like a thousand needles stabbing into him at once, flared through him as he fell back down, unable to move properly. What in the hell?

"Careful," angelboy told Wally, hand hovering above a basin and drawing water on it, which he then ran along Wally's side. "You were hurt, bad. You're lucky I was in the area, or that fall would have broken the little of you that was left."

"I'm dead," Wally informed the angel gleefully before giving him a goofy smile, "and, I clearly ascended to heaven, handsome," Wally tilted his head. "Weird, though. I can genuinely remember descending. Oh wow, that feels nice." Wally sighed, relaxing as the hands trailed along his bare flesh.

On that note, Wally wasn't wearing any clothes, other than a pair of underwear. Heh. Nice. Almost naked in heaven in the arms of an angel. Cool.

"You kinda seem to be going in and out of lucidity," the angelboy spoke. Angelboy had a very pretty voice, Wally decided. Everything about him was so pretty, really.

"That's nice. So, are you seeing anyone?" Wally wagged his eyebrows.

The angelboy looked at him for several seconds before letting out a laugh, then bopping Wally on the nose. Wally frowned. His nose was not for bopping, thank you very much.

"You're cute, but save that 'till after you can see straight, okay? What's your name? I'm Dick."

"Yes." Wally said.

Angelboy blinked. "Huh?"

Silly angel, not understanding when he'd been the one to offer. Still, he looked cute when confused. He looked cute always, Wally decided. The benefit of being an angelboy, Wally supposed.

"Yes, I'd like some dick." Wally clarified.

Angelboy spluttered the water that he had been bending splashing all over Wally.

"That- I- You- _That is not what I meant!"_ Angelboy let out a shrill shriek, clearly flustered.

Wally pouted before turning his head away, "Empty promises..."

Wally heard more than saw the angelboy flail around after that.

* * *

Once Wally was fully lucid, he wasn't sure which part of him was more red: his hair, or his face which was currently hidden by his hands.

"Oh Spirits," Wally said, peeking at Dick through his fingers. "I am so, so sorry."

"Did you know that, when you blush, it goes down to your chest? It's the most adorable shit." Dick responded casually.

Without missing a beat, Wally grabbed the rag currently rested on his forehead and threw it at his healer, who only laughed before aiming a poke at Wally's ribs.

Wally yelped a bit then retaliated, stretching his hand out to fickle Dick back, who easily dodged Wally's blows. Considering Wally could not move much more than his arms, this was not surprising.

Wally pouted at the Water Tribe boy. Or, more accurately, man. Dick was definitely a man. A very sexy man. Had Wally mentioned that? Was Wally concentrating on this because he didn't want to think too long about what his own stupidity had done? No siree, not at all.

"No fair. This is patient abuse, I can't move," Wally whined.

Dick laughed and bopped Wally on the nose again before backing off before Wally could retaliate, much to Wally's indignation.

* * *

Dick kept flirting with Wally. Admittedly, he really shouldn't, but he couldn't help it. Wally was cute and funny and clearly interested, how could Dick not like him back?

Still... Dick shot a look up at the sun, pausing in his collection of berries and fruits. Wally was a vegetarian, so Dick couldn't exactly feed him the fish he'd caught. Still, this island was full of plenty of useful herbs, so Dick wasn't complaining.

The sun shone brightly today. Not a cloud in the sky.

"Is this why you brought me here? To save an airbender?" Dick asked. The sun did not respond. Dick sighed, rubbing at his forehead. "How am I supposed to... He doesn't know. He doesn't know what happened to his... How in the hell am I supposed to tell him his entire culture is gone, while the rest of the world is at war over it?"

There was no answer. Not even a casual cloud wink like last time. Considering there were no clouds today that was not surprising. Letting out a breath, Dick gazed at the sun for several more moments before looking away.

Dick sighed

"I... I have to tell him, don't I? Just one day, one, I'd like not to get pulled into such a wild mess, sheesh."

* * *

Wally waited for the angelboy to get back, and he was starting to suspect Dick really was an angel. Anyone else would have shot off at 20 questions a minute. Hell, Wally would have shot off at 20 questions a minute.

Instead, Dick had given him plenty of space the last week, healing him while making mindless chatter, about the weather, about the sky, about his village and the places he's seen.

Dick traveled around. A lot, Wally gathered. More than even Wally had, and Wally was an airbender, and they were known for their wandering.

Sitting up, Wally looked around their campsite. He still couldn't quite move his legs, but his upper body? Dick had painstakingly restored motion to it through hours upon hours of endless healing.

Wally had lucked out, really. If he had landed anywhere else, he would have died. Only Dick's determination kept Wally from dying from his own Spirit damned stupidity.

"Note to self: Airbending can be used to teleport. Secondary note to self: said teleportation is dangerous, and will likely get you killed, and I am a dumbass."

Words out of his system, Wally looked around, Dick had made their campsite atop a hill. Wally himself was currently surrounded by rocks and walls made of solid ice, just in case there were predators on the island that had slipped Dick's notice. Wally couldn't exactly protect himself in his current state.

Wally... Really was an idiot. And, he needed to tell Dick the truth, he realized.

* * *

"Wally!" Dick announced himself before waving a hand at the ice wall, bending the water he'd hauled up from the Ocean back into buckets, "I'm back! I brought you food. I hope you like lychee nuts, because there are plenty of them!"

Dick entered the campsite, only to find Wally already awake, sitting up and staring blankly ahead, a hand trailing alongside his airbender tattoos. Dick frowned at the forlorn expression on Wally's face, walking forward and setting his bag on a rock. Walking towards Wally, Dick sat beside him, and waited.

Wally stayed silent for several moments.

Then...

"I'm an idiot," Wally said.

Dick's eyebrows shot up. Hand reaching out Dick grabbed Wally's in his own and interlaced their fingers. Wally let him, squeezing back. Dick stayed silent, giving Wally space.

Wally turned his head towards him.

"I'm probably, hands down, the worst airbender you'll ever meet," Wally told him.

Dick had to bite his lip to prevent himself from saying that Wally was the only airbender he would ever meet, period.

"I'm arrogant. I'm dumb. I'm a fool. I deluded myself into thinking I could unlock the secrets of an ancient airbender art that no one has been able to achieve except by accident." Wally informed Dick before turning away again, studying a pattern in a boulder a few feet away from them. "Instead, look at me" Wally let out a choked, half hysterical laugh, and Dick had to resist the urge to stop the boy and draw him in his arms.

Wally lifted an arm in the air, twisting it around to gaze at the arrow imprinted there.

"My bending is gone, you know. I damaged myself too much. Tried to undo one mistake, and look where that got me," Wally let out another laugh, dropping his arm and looking back at Dick. "Among the Air Nomads, once every few centuries, you get people with... Odd abilities. We're more connected to the Spirit world than any at the other Bending Arts. I... I tried to time travel." Wally revealed.

Wait, what?

Dick incredulity must have been written all over his face

"There have been airbenders that have done it before," Wally clarified, "Or, at least, partially. Always forward, never backwards. I just..." Wally let out another choked sound, pulling his hand away from Dick's as he hurried his face in his hands, letting out a sole. "I just wanted to save my uncle and my cousins! I. I got them killed. Me. I did that! **My** stupidity got them killed, and they- they died protecting, _me._ And I- It was my fault, because I was stupid and arrogant then, but, evidently, I didn't learn my Spirit's damned lesson because I went off and tried to pull shit like this and-,"

At this point, Wally's words failed him, breaking down into full blown sobs. That was it.

Sitting up straighter, Dick wrapped his arms around the other man, Wally gasped, breath coming in choked cries, clinging back to him fiercely as Dick rocked him back and forth.

Dick had questions. Plenty of questions. Those, however, could wait.

And... How the hell was he supposed to tell Wally that he'd succeeded, and he was now the last of his kind because of it?

* * *

Opening up to Dick had been... Relieving. It took such a weight off Wally's shoulders, making it so damn easier to breath. Wally had no idea how much he'd been holding in the last week and a half while Dick patched him up. Confessing it all was such a weight off of his shoulders.

A few days later, Wally and Dick were both eating, with Wally himself finally able to sit up, bowl in his hands. With a sigh, Dick set down his bowl, looking straight at Wally.

Wally froze, mouth full, spoon still in his mouth.

Wally swallowed and frowned, popping the spoon out of his mouth. "What? Is there something on my face?"

"Wally... There's something that I need to tell you.'' Dick said.

"This isn't a break up, is it? Because, I'd like us to see each other a bit more before we get to that point, yeah?" Wally smirked.

Dick, however, didn't laugh. Dick wasn't even meeting his gaze anymore, eyes looking away. Angelboy would always be pretty, but, right now? Right now, he looked plain sad in a way that made shivers run down Wally's spine.

Finally Dick looked back at Wally, "There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to say it. You didn't fail. You did time travel, Wally. Just, not backwards like you intended. I... Don't know from how far back you are, but you landed in the future."

Wally froze, mouth falling agape, Dick- he- what?

Dick took a breath. and then continued. "I know this because, nearly a century ago, Fire Lord Sozin declared war on the world and, using unknown means, hunted the Air Nomads into extinction, wiping them all out. You're the only airbender that's been seen in decades. The few that survived the initial purge were hunted down and executed."

Dick paused, eyes staring straight at Wally, waiting patiently.

Wally's spoon clattered to the ground as Dick's words replayed in his head, again and again and again.

Air Nomads... Gone. Time travel. Success. Airbenders. Extinct. Fire Lord Sozin. As much as Wally did not want to believe it there had been whispers. Rumors of an incoming war. It was just... Wally had never imagined that-

"Hey," Dick voice pulled Wally back to the present as hands latched onto his shoulders. Wally looked up, meeting his gaze, eyes wide and glassy, "Come back to me." Dick told him.

"I- How can they all be gone?" Wally's voice choked. Then... Angrily, Wally shoved Dick's hands away from him, standing up and taking a step back, his bowl falling to the ground, leaving a mess of food everywhere, "No! No! You're wrong! They can't all be gone, you don't understand!" Wally shouted.

Dick stood. "Wally-." he began.

"They would have fought back," Wally insisted. "Airbenders are pacifists, but that doesn't mean we'd lay there and let ourselves get slaughtered! They'd have fought back, they- there are temples that can only be reached through flight, the Fire Nation couldn't have-,"

Wally knew he was babbling at this point, but he couldn't help it. Wrong. Dick had to be wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! The Air Nomads couldn't all be gone! That was impossible. The Fire Nation would not have been able to-.

For the second time in the last few days, Wally found himself enveloped in Dick's arms. Wally's frantic breathing slowed for a moment as he clutched at the other, Dick muttering endless apologies to him as his words sunk in more and more.

Fire Lord Sozin had wiped out the Air Nomads.

And Wally, in the mother of all ironies, had only survived out at his own sheer stupidity.

* * *

"So, I know you said I'm the only airbender that's been seen in almost a century, but consider this: what if I'm not?" Wally told Dick the next day as the pair of them bathed.

At this point, the two of them had been trapped on the island for the last few weeks. Considering Dick had patched up every inch of Wally's body at least once, the concept of modesty did not exist between the two of them.

Dick blinked at Wally, water dripping from his head. Wally had to resist the urge to watch the path of the water droplets trailing along Dick's perfect ales.

"Wally," Dick began.

"Think about it" Wally interrupted, "Even if the Fire Nation managed to find all of the temples at once, there's still no way they would have been able to get all the Air Nomads in one go. A few could have fled and hidden. Integrated into the other nations to keep hidden. Hell, all it takes is some makeup and a change of clothes," Wally pointed out.

Dick opened his mouth to counter before closing it again.

Holy... What if Wally was right? It would make sense. Airbending masters would have a harder time integrating because the tattoos would have been near impossible to hide, but others? Children who hadn't attained mastery? Or, hell, adults and teens as well.

Wally could practically see the cogs turning in Dick's head. "I'm right!" Wally exclaimed, wagging a finger at Dick. "Airbenders survived! They're just in hiding!"

"... For the last hundred years?" Dick did not want to play devil's advocate, but it looked like he would have to.

Wally, however, nodded. "Yes. Airbending isn't like other bending arts. You can only unlock it after reaching a spiritual awakening. All parents would have to do is just. Not tell their kids while waiting out the struggle. The Fire Nation killing so many masters would have left any survivors plain traumatized that they would be next."

"Traumatized and in hiding. The original survivors might not be alive, but their grandchildren..." Dick trailed off.

Wally nodded eagerly, "Yeah! And, some of the communities themselves might have survived outright. We had hidden enclaves all over the world, there could still be other airbenders!"

But not Jessie. Or Max, Or Bart. Or Iris. Or Meloni. Don't think about them. Don't think about how they would have all scrambled to find Wally after he disappeared without a trace into the unknown. Don't think about it, don't think, don't think.

"But, why would they stay hidden all this time?" Dick asked.

"They were probably waiting for a sign to come out," Wally shrugged, "Like the Avatar. Where are they, anyways? The last one got reborn into the Southern Air Temple, which-."

Wally choked. He didn't have to say it, From the look on Dick's face, it was clear he'd also considered it. Hell, it was clear that the world had considered it, and Wally was the one late to the party.

"We believe that the Avatar was who Sozin was after. Either he was captured in the raid, executed, or... Or he was never reborn, since the massacre disturbed the world balance."

Wally flinched, As much as he didn't want to admit it, Dick had a point there. The Avatar would have been just a child then.

Which meant... The primary targets of the attack would have been aimed at the children...

"He was definitely reborn," Wally assured Dick, "In the Southern Air Temple. Air Nomads... We keep track of Avatars born in our ranks, easily."

"Then the Fire Nation either imprisoned or killed them. Either way, they weren't reborn afterwards into the Water Tribe," Dick revealed, because it was true.

When the Air Nomads had fallen, and the world fell into ruin and war, the world awaited the Avatar's return, but they waited in bane as decade after decade passed by them without even a single whisper or rumor.

"The surviving Nomads would have stayed hidden, then," Wally theorized. "Scattered, broken. Waiting. Waiting for a sign that never came…"

The way Dick bit his lip and looked away, refusing to meet Wally's gaze, spoke volumes.

Silence spread between them for several moments, neither of them speaking of moving a muscle.

"Then... We'll look for them," Dick spoke, turning his head back to look at a surprised Wally. "My squad can wait. Hell, they probably already think I'm dead. I got stranded here over a month ago."

"You would do that for- wait, squad?" Wally asked.

Dick's eyes widened. Then, letting out a chuckle, Dick closed his eyes and scratched the back of his head. "Did I forget to mention I'm a Water Tribe soldier and the designated healer of the group?"

...

"You're a what?"

* * *

Wally wasn't sure how he ended up snuggled up with Dick in the middle of the night but the waterbender was warm and soft and for the first time in weeks, Wally felt safe and secure and not at all stressed.

Dick was holding Wally in his arms, his expression soft. A bit of drool fell out of his mouth and maybe Wally should be grossed out a bit, but it was all so ridiculously cute. Wally's head was rested on Dick’s bare chest, and he could feel the gentle beat of his angelboy's heart.

Sighing, Wally snuggled in, getting himself comfortable. He was so ridiculously in love with this man...

The realization sent a wild shake through Wally's system, causing him to sit up. The sudden move startled Dick. blue eyes blinking, open slowly.

"Wally?" Dick asked him sleepily, drawing his arms back and looking at Wally patiently.

"I- I- why are we cuddling," Wally decided to go with the safe option, and hoped his face was not too red.

(Wally's face was currently beat red and his chest was not far behind and Dick was resisting the urge to coo, but he wasn't about to admit that)

"You were having a nightmare and I tried to wake you and you latched onto me instead and wouldn't let go." Dick revealed.

Wally looked around. Indeed, they were on Wally's side of the campsite Narrowing his eyes playfully, Wally poked Dick's nose. "How do I know you didn't just sneak onto my side for some cuddles while I was sleeping, hm?" Wally asked.

Dick shrugged, gave Wally a lopsided smile that did _things_ to his stomach, and then wrapped his arms back around Wally, pulling him in close.

"Who knows," Dick said, grinning at him lavisciously, "maybe I did?

Wally couldn't help it. Leaning forward, Wally went slow, making his intention clear as day. Dick's eyes widened for a moment before fluttering close, mouth opening slightly. Wally knew an invitation when he saw one.

Their lips met in a soft and gentle dance as the pair of them made out, feeling each other, basking in the other's presence.

They were together. And they were happy.

* * *

"Note to self: I broke the medic's code and fell for a patient. Secondary note to self, this is the second time that this has happened and I really, really hope this doesn't end like the last one did, or I'm going to commit mass homicide."

With that, Dick shot a sad forlorn look towards the sun.

"I hope you know… No matter what happens, I love you. You will always be in my heart, from now to the end."

The clouds formed the image of a watery smile, and Dick could not help but smile back.

* * *

Weeks passed, Weeks of bliss as Dick and Wally got to know each other better and plotted a way to get off the island.

Unfortunately...

"There just aren't enough materials around here to build a working boat, even with the salvage I collected from my last one." Dick pointed out.

"You could always bend as an ice bridge," Wally popped a grape into his mouth.

"Too far, "Dick disagreed, "Besides, other than healing, my waterbending is not that good," Dick admitted, scratching the back of his head.

Wally squirted at him. "Bisonshit," Wally declared. "You're a powerful bender. I'd have died in any other healers hands, and I don't say that to be sweet, angelboy. Healing me in that state was nothing short of a miracle. Another healer would have needed water from the spirit oasis to even get close to what you managed."

Dick chewed his lip.

"All right. I don't want to learn waterbending," Dick admitted. 

Wally looked shocked for a moment before understanding bled into his eyes. Considering Dick had spent the last few weeks regaling Wally with his life story, that wasn't exactly surprising.

"You don't want to use your powers aggressively!"

Dick shook his head, letting his expression say it all. No, he didn't want to use waterbending offensively at all. He wanted to use them to heal and to restore, never to hurt.

Wally placed a hand over Dick's, squeezing it.

"Airbenders are pacifists," Wally said. "In fights, we avoid and evade, turn our opponent's motion against them. We learn to fight so we can defend ourselves and those that we love, and so we don't accidentally hurt someone with an uncontrolled burst of power."

Dick blanched.

"Wait, is that even possible?"

Wally nodded. "Bending means controlling the elements. You can't exactly stop being a bender, all you can do is learn to control it more." Wally said.

"So..." Dick said, “You think I should..."

"Learn to waterbend. Not just healing but actual waterbending. You don't have to use it offensively, but It's better to know and have control of it than to not know at all."

Dick considered Wally's words for several moments, staring into Wally's eyes, Wally met the gaze face first, not wavering for even a moment.

Something indescribable passed across Dick's eyes before he gave Wally a single firm nod, rising to his feet. Striding over to his bag, Dick knelt down, opening it and pulling out a scroll before turning to look back at Wally. "Then I better start using this, I guess."

...

Wally spluttered. "You had a waterbending scroll this entire time!"

Dick's eyebrows went up, "I've got, like, a dozen. How do you think I managed to heal you?"

Wally considered this before nodding. "Okay, okay, that's a good point."

* * *

Wally squinted rather dramatically at the waterbending scroll, sitting with his back to the sun just to avoid the light effectively stabbing him in the eyes.

"What are you doing over there?" Dick questioned, looking over at Wally from where he stood, that is, knee deep in the shallow water of the beach.

"This thing!" Wally vaulted himself carefully off of his warm dry rock and into the water, walking sort of noisily over. Thankfully Dick had already encased the fish he had targeted. "How were you even learning from this?"

Dick didn't need to look to know that the airbender had the scroll nearly pressed against his nose. "Just be glad I did or you'd still be bleeding out via your own stupidity." He hummed, tipping his head to one side.

Wally huffed and let his hands fall against his thighs along with the paper, staring at Dick with a grumpy, yet comedic, pout.

Dick just snorted, letting Wally join him in the snickering. "Okay but seriously, I can't read this at all,"

"Probably a dialectical change," Dick shrugged lightly. "I mean- language can change throughout a century."

Wally considered this.

"Okay, true, true. But _still,_ how could it have changed this much," Wally squinted at the parchment.

"You don't need to read it," Dick pointed out, "just turn it around so I can see it."

Wally narrowed his eyes as another pout splayed across his lips. "Okay, but what if I want to- is that a ship?"

"What?" Dick frowned at him, "I know your language skills are a bit rusty Walls, but-."

"No!" Wally exclaimed, "Not this! That!" Wally pointed, and Dick turned his head.

There, on the coast, moving directly towards them was a boat. An actual real, Spirit blessed boat. The fish Dick had encased fell with a splash back into the water as his concentration broke, mouth agape.

Then...

From the mast, Dick spotted a rather familiar figure.

"Dick! Why am I not surprised to find you stranded on another island WITH ANOTHER HOT REDHEAD!" Donna Troy's booming voice carried easily across the water. The Kyoshi Warrior stood alone atop her ship, her distinct form all but unmistakable.

No one forgets when their own surrogate little sister outgrows them, height wise and muscle wise. No one.

"Wait, another hot redhead?" Wally looked at Dick, eyebrows arched.

Dick grimaced, shooting Wally a look. "She isn't... Let's just say, I've lost people too." Dick said, choosing not to elaborate.

It wasn't exactly fair of him, Dick realized, after Wally had shared so much with him, but he couldn't help it. Kori was a wound that hadn't healed. A wound he doubted would ever heal properly, really.

Wally shot him a look of sadness and understanding, hand reaching up to lace his fingers with Dick's own. Dick smiled at the airbender, squeezing his hand bade before turning towards Donna's advancing ship.

* * *

"So, let me get this straight," Donna said. "You're a time traveling airbender," Donna pointed at Wally, "the both at you have been trapped on this island since Dick went missing, and now, you want to journey around the world to try and search for any hidden Air Nomad enclaves that the Fire Nation might have missed in the purge?"

Dick and Wally exchanged looks, nodding at each other before turning back to Donna.

"Yeah," Dick said.

"Sounds about right." Wally added.

Donna stared at them for several seconds before letting out a laugh, hands reaching up to bring the pair in close. Both boys let out oomph sounds as Donna hugged them. "You're both insane. I'm in."


End file.
